The Hakuboar Series
by Kencha-the-one-the-only
Summary: In which Conan's part bat, Kaito is part snake, of course Hakuba is part pig, and by all means, let's make Heiji a bear. Ran is part komodo dragon, Kazuha is a lemur, and Aoko is part eagle so the world should be terrified.
1. Snorts and Slithers

With a snort of disdain, Saguru looked down at Kuroba. His skin hung loosely at his neck, and not even Poker Face could hide the misery he was in. Though he was cold-blooded, Hakuba knew that long sleeves and gloves must be torturous in this weather. Kuroba stared off into the distance like a zombie, eyes glassy and the pack of cards in the corner of his desk untouched. "Honestly, Kuroba. There's a heist tomorrow. You're planning on going like this?"

Kuroba only shrugged, waving a floppy hand. "'M fine," he mumbled behind a face mask. "B'sides. Not KID."

"I didn't say you were." Kuroba lowered the face mask to stick out his forked tongue at Saguru. Saguru saw the greyish, dull scales and rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't even be at school in your condition."

Kuroba shrugged. "Not contagious."

Saguru withheld a groan. "Of course moulting isn't contagious. It's an internal process for which you should be resting and not planning a heist."

"I'll finish tonight," Kuroba muttered. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Saguru's ear twitched. "You idiot. Molting takes weeks. This is your first day. If I see you at the heist tomorrow, I will drag Edogawa-kun up here and we will personally see you detained."

Kuroba only tilted his head. "Will you now?" He let a sly smile slip before sliding the mask back over his face. "Good luck with that, Haku-boar."

"I'm serious, Kuroba. Don't make me get Aoko-san involved, too," Saguru threatened, leaning closer to Kuroba. The scales around Kuroba's eyes crinkled, and he lifted a finger to poke Saguru in the center of his snout. Saguru flinched away, and Kuroha let out a raspy, serpentine laugh.

It was quickly cut off by a large wing of brilliant brown feathers whacking Kuroba upside the head. "Kaito," scolded Aoko, "Leave Hakuba-kun alone."

Straightening his shirt, Saguru coughed. "My thanks, Aoko-san."

"Sorry about him," she said, wrestling Kuroba into the desk with just a wing. "He doesn't like molting. It changes his scales every time."

"And I like my scales," Kuroba protested from beneath Aoko's wing. "What if my scales become something gross like pink? Green eyes and pink scales do not look good together, Aoko."

"What's wrong with pink?" Aoko shot a glare over her shoulder. "Hakuba-kun is pink."

"Exactly," hissed Kuroba, and Saguru decided it was time to take his leave.

Aoko took her other wing and patted Saguru's shoulder with it. She had a long wingspan, nearly double her height. "Ignore him, Hakuba-kun." She frowned in concentration as, behind her, Kuroba tried to slither out from beneath her wing. "Though it's easier said than done," she gritted out, her mouth somewhere between a toothy grin and a grimace.

Saguru snorted. "Oh, believe me." Kuroba's tail flicked back and forth on the ground, rattling as it moved. "I know."

(0 0)

 _Conan's part bat, Kaito is part snake, of course Hakuba is part pig, and by all means, let's make Heiji a bear. Ran is part komodo dragon, Kazuha is a lemur, and Aoko is part horse and eagle so the world should be terrified._

Welcome to the Hakuboar Series!

3 Kencha


	2. Be the Serpent Beneath It

"Get back here, Kaitou KID!" Nakamori charged at the thief, but the phantom disappeared in a puff of green smoke. Nakamori let out a series of infuriated chirps as he unfurled his wings. "Find him!" He ordered. As though it needed saying.

Saguru was gone the moment he saw the green smoke. Taking stairs two at a time, he grumbled under his breath about KID's incompetence. Kuroba had promptly ignored Saguru's warnings and gone on with the heist despite the fact that he was molting. Honestly, what sort of madman— rather, _why_ did Kuroba have to be such an _insane,_ _self-destructive_ piece of reptilian _idiocy?_

He burst through the door leading to the roof, and he was promptly tackled to the ground by a little black ball of fur and wings. "Get down, Hakuba-niichan!" Edogawa shouted. A bullet whizzed past the spot his head just was. Gunpowder and smoke burned Saguru's nostrils.

On the ground, Saguru looked around the roof. A safe spot, sheltered, stood only a meter or two away behind an air conditioning unit. Edogawa had the same thought, and they both dashed forward. Edogawa spread his wings wide in an obvious attempt to shield Saguru from any more bullets, but Saguru was having no more of this self-sacrificing crap. He pinned Edogawa's wings against his back as the two of them crawled as quickly as they could.

"Not a chance, Edogawa-kun," Saguru growled. He all but carried Edogawa to safety despite the little bat's protests.

When Saguru finally let go, Edogawa shifted his wings. _"Never_ do that again." The pure malice coupled with the resonant tone he was so famous for in his voice startled Saguru. A shiver ran down Saguru's back. When had Edogawa had the time to discern his frequency? The Detective Koushien?

No matter (he told himself as much, but this was definitely going to be looked into later). Who was shooting at them?

"KID?" asked Saguru breathlessly, brushing off the irritation flowing from Edogawa. Now was not the time for emotions.

Edogawa's ears swiveled in all different directions. "Hiding. Until he disappears or gets shot, we're under fire."

"The gem?"

At that, Edogawa smiled, all teeth. "Right here." He pulled the little amethyst from his pocket. It glinted under the moonlight a deep purple before Edogawa stashed it away again. His grin faded. "KID's slipping. He's not breathing right."

"He's molting," answered Saguru. "He shouldn't be here."

"I thought he was mammal," Edogawa said, giving Saguru a strange look.

Saguru shook his head. "Reptile. He can disguise the scent, the voice, and the skin, but watch his mouth. He tries hiding the forked tongue, but he still tastes the air during a chase. I'll send you footage."

Another bullet pinged off the top edge of the AC unit, leaving a burn mark at the top corner. Edogawa's flattened his ears against his head. "Seriously? This _idiot—_ "

"Yes. He is that stupid." Saguru interrupted. "Edogawa-kun, have you discerned the shooter's location? KID may be a flamboyant, arrogant idiot with no regard for his own well-being, but he's not bulletproof."

Giving his wings a few small flaps, Edogawa reached down and turned a dial on his shoes. Electricity crackled around the little bat's feet. "Yeah. I've got it." He spoke a few words out of Saguru's hearing range, his mouth moving and seemingly no sound coming out. "And KID had better know Morse code. He's dead otherwise. Four meters behind us, two to the left. He's close, but he needs to be gone. When I give the signal, move."

Saguru nodded, crouching on his toes. He only had to wait a moment before Edogawa screeched, sending shivers through Saguru's body. Mentally shaking off the feeling, he bolted for Kuroba's location. As Saguru darted to the figure in white, something soaring over his head with all the force of a bullet. Behind him, Edogawa hovered mid-air, his shoes alight with energy and a satisfied smirk on his face. Saguru watched the soccer ball fly for just a moment, and a fraction of a second later, a cry of pain sounded from somewhere nearby.

Crouching next to Kuroba, Saguru couldn't relax yet. Nakamori was sure to be here soon. "KID, get up. You need to go." He couldn't capture Kuroba. Not like this. Never like this.

Brilliant green eyes flashed with anger (fear), and KID leapt to his feet. (If Saguru saw him stumble, he never said anything.) "Thank you for your concern, tantei-san. I assure you I am quite alright." His voice shook but neither of them said a thing about itr. He gave a swooping gentlemen's bow. His arm trembled like a skyscraper in an earthquake. "Until we meet again." With another puff of emerald smoke, Kuroba vanished into the night.

Edogawa hovered at Saguru's side, watching the place KID had stood. "How much longer is he going to keep this up? He won't survive pulling a stunt like this again. He couldn't move, Hakuba-niichan." The little bat frowned at Saguru.

Saguru could only sigh and shake his head. "I- I don't know. He's KID. It's like asking you not to run into murders." Edogawa started at that. "Police gossip," Saguru assured him. "But I'm sure he won't hold another heist soon. Don't worry. I'm almost positive who he really is, and he has people who will ensure he gets the rest he needs."

Nodding, Edogawa settled to the ground. "Oh, um, by the way."

"Hm? What is it?"

The fur on Edogawa's neck fluffed in embarrassment. "Ran-neechan… doesn't know I'm here. So I gotta go here's the gem don't let Nakamori know and thanks bye!" In one motion, Edogawa handed off the gem, bowed to Saguru, and flew off.

"Wait, Edogawa-kun, I can't- you can't just-" but the little bat was long gone, flying with an expertise no six-year-old should logically have. Saguru was still reeling in shock at the sudden abandonment when Nakamori and the Taskforce finally burst into the rooftop.

"Hakuba-kun! Where's KID!" shouted Nakamori.

"Which one." Saguru asked dryly, officially done for the night. "Here's his target." He threw the gem at Nakamori. "I'm going home."

"Ah! But how do we know you are not KID!" that one obnoxious taskforce member pointed out. in an instant they swarmed him, and Saguru groaned from beneath the pile of hot, sweaty bodies. This was really not his night.

(0 0)

Kaito missed being able to disguise as Aoko. It was so much easier before her wings fleshed out, growing to almost double either of their heights. Kudou Shinichi had wings, too. The only one left was Aoko's look alike, tantei-kun's sister Mouri Ran. So when Kaito was exhausted after a heist and wanted very little to do in terms of disguising, he found a secluded bathroom and went through the familiar motions of Aoko, but with no feathers and cleaner hair. It was so simple Kaito wanted to pat himself on the back, but molting was really taking it out of him. He kinda just wanted to pass out.

He ambled out of the bathroom, down the hall and into the streets. He'd glided a few blocks from the heist location and sent a dummy the opposite direction. He was a half hour walk from home. Nothing he couldn't handle. Kaito took an umbrella from a nearby stand, leaning on it heavily. _Almost home. Almost home._ As Kaito fought against gravity to keep his balance, he tripped over a little kid.

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, barely glancing over his shoulder. _I just need to get home._

He tried walking away, but something tugged on his skirt. "Ran-neechan, what are you doing here?"

It took all Kaito's self control not to swear out loud. Throwing up Poker Face like a shield, he turned on his heel and frowned at tantei-kun. "I didn't tell you where I was going?"

Tantei-kun shook his head slowly, swallowing. "No, it's just, I thought you'd be gone a little longer."

"Gone a little longer, huh?" He put his hands on his hips. "Just what do you think you're trying to pull?" He looked at his watch for the effect. "It's nearly ten! You have school tomorrow, Conan-kun. Come on, we're going home." He reached for tantei-kun's hand, but the little bat suddenly jerked away.

"Who are you," he demanded. Kaito tasted the air nervously, acrid asphalt clashing horribly with the fear rancid in the air. Tantei-kun's wings were tense, ready to fly away at the drop of a hat.

 _Play oblivious,_ whispered Kaito's instincts. "Aw, tantei-kun. What gave me away?" he asked in KID's voice.

Tantei-kun relaxed in an instant. "Ran's claws are bigger. And her scales are rougher." He shook out his wings, taking a breath. "Give me a reason I shouldn't take you in right now," he said flatly.

"I'd die of boredom," Kaito chirped. He switched to Ran's voice. "Please don't let me die of boredom, Conan-kun."

Tantei-kun went hilariously red, his ears flattening against his head. "Fine. Just...don't do that." Tantei-kun gave his wings a few powerless flaps. He looked around with an exasperation far beyond his years and sighed. "Stay here. You actually look like death."

Kaito laughed. "Tell me something I don't know."

Tantei-kun rolled his eyes. "Just wait here." Kaito nodded, not sure he could do anything else. He was pretty sure that his knees would buckle as soon as he took a step, and this mask was probably going to take some skin off with it when he went to bed tonight. Molting always made his skin crawl. His head buzzed with all the caffeine he'd downed earlier, his tail ached from being under his suit for too long, and right now Kaito wanted more than to coil up in a ball and die.

Tantei-kun tugged on Kaito's arm, snapping out of his Self-Pitying Internal Monologue of Woe. "Oneechan, the taxi is here. Didn't you want to go home?"

 _Bless._ "You are a god, komori-chan," said Kaito in a feminine voice. Tantei-kun made an odd expression at that, but he pulled him over to the taxi. It was all Kaito could do not to fall over. How exactly did he think he was going to make it home?

Kaito collapsed into the backseat of the taxi, and to his surprise, tantei-kun only cleaned in the door. "Oneechan is sick. Can you drive her home, oji-san?" he asked the driver. "She can tell you her address. I gotta go, but here's some money. Oneechan lost her wallet."

Handing a few bills to the driver, tantei-kun ducked out of the taxi. "Oneechan, don't be out when you're sick. You won't get better that way," he said with a very six-year-old pout. "Go home and get better. Please? I wanna come and play again when you're better." _Don't be an idiot._

Kaito waved weakly- both because he had no response, and because the caffeine was wearing off. "I will. Good night, komori-chan."

With a nod, tantei-kun finally closed the door,and the driver chuckled. "That kid seems to like you. You babysit him?"

Kaito grinned. "Yeah. But only at KID heists."

"KID heists? He a police kid?"

"Something like that."

The driver shrugged. "Alright, miss. Where do you live? That kid's glaring something fierce and I don't want to wake up tomorrow with the police knocking at my door because I didn't take his babysitter home fast enough."

Kaito gave him his address and looked out the window at tantei-kun.

 _Never again,_ mouthed the little bat quite clearly. _Or I bring Hattori._

Kaito just grinned. _The more the merrier,_ he mouthed back.

The taxi pulled away before tantei-kun could properly respond, but it looked an awful lot like he muttered _Screw you, KID._

(0 0)

Kaito did spend the next two weeks at home as he molted. Aoko came by every day until she forcefully dragged him to her own house, and Hakuba visited a few times. They kept Kaito caught up with schoolwork and the gossip (Aoko) or news (Hakuboar). Kaito never had enough energy to pull pranks on anyone, so he had no outlet for the flurry of thoughts about the little bat who saved him from hours of misery.

He asked his mom for suggestions, and through hypothetical situations he consulted Aoko's dad (who was more intelligent than the news gave him credit for). It took him a week and a half to come up with something (granted, seventy percent of that time was spent sleeping or wishing he was asleep) for the little bat.

Kilometers away, a little bat opened up a package sent to Komori-chan. Heart racing, he knew it wasn't a bomb, but no one who knew would send him an unmarked package like this. Especially one labeled "To my darling Komori-chan." Ran would have a cow if she'd seen this before he hid it.

Peeling away the layers of bubble wrap, Shinichi found a little necklace, three small glass bottles, and a note at the bottom of it. He pulled out the diffuser set and tested each of the scents. They were relatively odorless, but so much so that they seemed to suck the scent from the air. With a grin (Shinichi had needed something like this since that day at Tropical Land), he finally read the note. His toothy grin only grew.

 _For saving my skin,_ the note read. _The next heist is in two weeks. See you there._

 _\- Kaitou KID_


	3. Komori-kun Part 1

From the day he picked up _A Study In Scarlet,_ Shinichi knew he wanted to be a detective. He wanted to be just like Sherlock Holmes. His dad was so cool, too. He made up detectives and then solved real cases in real life. Mom said it was dangerous, but Shinichi just thought it was awesome.

He thought his mom was funny, even for a fox. Mom never frowned when Dad was home, but sometimes she cried when he didn't come home for awhile. He never said anything to Dad. Dad knew everything. So of course Dad knew that Mom was sadder whenever he wasn't home.

Sometimes, Shinichi got to see his dad's picture in the paper. Whenever he solved a big mystery, the kanji on the top said Kudou Yusaku Does It Again! and it always made Shinichi smile. He showed it off at school to Ran, saying, look at how cool Dad is. He never fails a case. For some reason, though, Mom didn't like it when Dad solved a case. She lashed her fluffy tail back and forth as she stormed through the house, and she never waited for Dad to come home before she made dinner.

He heard them yelling at each other sometimes after that funeral they went to. There was a nice boy at the funeral who Shinichi thought looked just like him, but the boy had scales and a tail just like the pictures of the man who died. Shinichi had Dad's ears and wings and Mom's bright orange fur.

Shinichi had really good hearing, too. Mom and Dad didn't know. It was Shinichi's secret with Ran. Shinichi could hear when Mom and Dad yelled at each other. But it was more like Mom getting really upset and yelling and Dad not saying anything. Even if Mom and Dad were on the other side of the house and they played music in the kitchen to cover up the noise, Shinichi could still hear them fighting. He didn't like it, so a lot of the time he went to the professor's house next door. Even if the professor was tinkering with loud machines and making things blow up all the time, Shinichi always thought the professor's house was quieter.

Mom left somewhere one day in what looked like a "hissy fit." At least, she was acting how Shinichi did once or twice when she said that. She left with a little suitcase and didn't say goodbye to anyone.

"Is she coming back?" Shinichi asked Dad.

Dad barely looked up from the case file in front of him. "She'll be back, don't worry. She just needs some air."

Shinichi stretched his wings nervously. "Does Mom not like you working on cases?"

Dad smiled just a little, but he looked sad. "No. She doesn't."

"Are you gonna stop doing them?"

"No. It helps more people than I think she realizes. Once Yukiko understands, she'll come back home."

(0 0)

It was three months, one week, and two days before Mom came back home. Dad was gone, and Shinichi told her so when she asked. Dad's out working, he told her, and so the professor was going to come by later to help with dinner. But then Mom's eyes got wide and her fur got all fluffy like when Shinichi startled her late one night, but this time her fear smelled sick. Mom dropped her bags and said to go to the professor's.

But Shinichi didn't want to go to the professor's. It's was too loud and too bright at night.

Shinichi slept alone in the attic that night. He liked the attic. Other bats (full bats, not like Dad's parents) sometimes came by and made Shinichi feel better, but nobody came by. Not tonight.

He was cold.

(0 0)

 _ **Detective Kudou Yusaku Attacked! Will He Ever Fly Again?**_

 _On Tuesday, world-renown detective and mystery writer Kudou Yusaku was rescued by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Kudou had been captured three days before his rescue and tortured by the criminal, Kuraki Yuta._ _At the hands of Kudou's ruthless deductive skills, Yuta was nearly convicted of first-degree murder; however, thanks to a technicality in the judicial system, Yuta escaped all charges. Yuta invited Kudou out under the pretense of making amends._ _The extent of Kudou's injuries are unknown, but his wings were torn and damaged nearly beyond repair. Fans and friends alike wonder if Kudou will ever fly again. One expert said…_

Shinichi couldn't read anymore. Dad would never fly with him again. Never. He came home with his wings wrapped like a mummy. He wouldn't fly.

Late that night, Shinichi heard Mom crying. _"This_ is why I said to stop. People get hurt. What would we do if we never found you?"

"Yuta wouldn't kill me," Dad rasped.

"Yusaku, you _can't_ keep doing this. Think about Shinichi. Think about _Kaito._ You _know_ what Kaito did after Toichi died."

"Shinichi is smarter than-"

 _"Please."_

(0 0)

Dad's wings became infected. He lost them a week and a half later.


	4. Komori-kun Part 2

"Someone's been killed!" whispered a woman to her friend.

"I saw it," said a frantic man to no one in particular. "The dead body in the bathroom."

Shinichi was already on his feet. He had to get to the crime scene before it was contaminated. Weaving through the crowd, the unmistakable bitterly subtle scent of death reached his nose.

"Let me through," he said to the flight attendants at the bathroom door, adopting an authoritative tone. "I'm a detective." All those lectures from his parents about _"Don't draw attention to yourself,"_ yet the words came so _easily_ off his lips.

They eyed him skeptically for a moment before he broke through to the body. As he examined the scene, the unrest in the passengers faded to background noise, disregarded information. _Dead for an hour, maybe two._ An odd scent came from the trash. _Chloroform?_

"Ma'am, is there a plastic bag of some kind I can use for collecting evidence?" He barely glanced over his shoulder as he took his handkerchief from his pocket and opened the trash.

"Um, well-" The shorter of the two hesitated, her gray-blue feathers still fluffed up from the shock of finding the body. "I'll see what I can find."

Before she could go to look, a third attendant came from the other end of the plane. "This man is a police detective," he told his coworkers hurriedly, a larger man close behind him.

Shinichi just needed a few more moments. He frowned in thought and hummed in supersonic tones that only a few would be able to catch and fewer would be able to decipher. He slipped a few decibels lower as the information came together, and his ears caught a familiar hiss.

"Shinichi," Ran said, low and not quite happy with him, "stop doing that." She knew he was listening. "I told you, it feels weird when you hum like that."

He couldn't help it if his most comfortable note just _happened_ to match the pitch that resonated with her entire being. (He could help it when he was paying attention, but that didn't happen enough.) She never said it was _painful,_ describing the feeling as chills throughout her whole body. It was like really low bass, she once told him, how it shakes every part of you.

He could feel all sorts of wavelengths all the time, so being without some sort of vibration in his chest would always be a foreign concept to him.

The large man pushed past the flight attendants. "You-!" Inspector Megure began angrily.

And the deduction show began.

(0 0)

Maybe it was less a deduction show and more "here's what I don't know," but either way, he was unable to get Megure to let him help. (Never mind the fact that he listened with equal parts irritation and satisfaction as Megure and Takagi came to the same conclusion in three minutes that he drew in a fraction of the time.) Only as a witness could he secure his usefulness, but once Megure needed his help, Shinichi went to work.

He was so sure that he could find the criminal, the weapon the only part missing (and how the murder was carried out, of course). But his confidence was beginning to falter as the weapon wasn't _anywhere._

Then Tsugumi Amano faltered as she reached up for the bag. _Odd,_ he noted, tucking the strange action in the back of his mind.

(0 0)

With the answer he'd hoped for from Ran, the murderer and their method began to fall into place. A grin swept his thoughtful frown away, and the murderer shuddered.

(0 0)

Tsugumi Amano confessed. He could have caught her lies earlier, he knew, if the plane engine wasn't so loud. Heartbeats betrayed every liar, but he couldn't hear them like he always could with the roaring engines.

(0 0)

"One more thing," Shinichi said to the others around him. Megure raised his eyebrows as though expecting further deductions. "You may recall a detective many years ago who lost his wings." Megure's eyes widened, but it was Edward Crowe who spoke up.

"That was Yusaku Kudou, correct?" he asked.

Shinichi nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. "He lost his wings to injuries inflicted by a murderer he convicted. His wife and son were also targeted more than once due to his hobby.

"For the safety of my friends and family, I ask that you keep my name from any of the papers, please. I don't want the same misfortune to befall me." _And I could never let Ran endure that sort of pain._

Megure nodded in understanding, but Saginuma frowned. "Komori-kun, we don't even know your name."

Shinichi thought for only a minute. "Let's keep it that way." He bowed to each of the suspects and returned to his seat.

 _"In other news, a murder occurred on an incoming flight from Japan. Thanks to the efforts of police on board the flight, the murder was solved hours before the flight landed, witnesses say."_

 _ **-krrsccsh-**_

 _"-not just police alone. A young bat with orange fur reportedly assisted the police in solving-"_

 _ **-krrsccsh-**_

 _"-Ms. Misawa, who says not only did she see the young bat, but says he solved the murder himself. Ms. Misawa, what did the-"_

 _ **-krrsccsh-**_

 _"-Komori-kun. It's Japanese for bat. Not original, sure, but it sounds a heck of a lot better than Bat Man. I mean, what sort of name would that be, amiright, folks?"_

 ** _-krrsccsh-_**

(0 0)

His mother lashed her tail back and forth as she paced across the hotel room. Ran waited outside, and he could hear her heart hammering in her chest like a drum. His mother's heart was beating no slower as fear and worry came off her in waves.

"What part of 'don't draw attention to yourself' don't you get? Shinichi, news stations and every social media platform, even the papers heard about this. Someone has a picture, Shinichi. A _picture."_ She stopped pacing to look at him. "They know the bat who helped has orange fur. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"

Of course he knew. "Only one in twenty-eight bats don't have black fur," he answered automatically. "But at least I don't have yellow fur. I might have just as well told them my name, if that were the case."

Her ears went flat against her head. "You're sure none of them knew your name?"

Shinichi nodded and shrugged in one motion, his wings bobbing as he moved his shoulders. "Inspector Megure never called me by name, and I only introduced myself to him. The suspects only called me komori-kun."

She drew in a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, her fur began to smooth out. "Don't tell anyone you were there. Don't let anyone know you're that bat."

Shinichi's wings shivered in irritation. "Mom, I _know._ I get it. I know what happened to Dad. I know how dangerous being a detective is. You can't make me stop doing it," he finally burst out.

She bared her teeth unconsciously, so he continued in a softer tone, "I was there, Mom. I know how much it hurt to watch Dad be in so much pain because of his being a detective. I won't do that to you or Dad or anyone else," he vowed.

"I'll keep this a secret. I promise."

Yukiko wished Yusaku was here with her, here to fight to keep their son safe. Instead, he was halfway around the world at a mystery writer's summit.

(Yet some part of her knew Yusaku would side with Shinichi. Like father, like son, as they say. The worst she could see her husband doing was ensuring an officer went around with Shinichi at all times.

Not even that, however, would be enough to dispel the fear Yukiko harbored for her little boy. Perhaps it was time to go visit her family shrine again and pray for protection. A little extra luck never hurt anyone.)


	5. Komori-kun Part 3

The first day back to school was torture. As the head of the school newspaper, Sonoko kept the Komori-kun incident quiet. The media was abuzz in America, but news on the murder was glossed over here in Japan. Sonoko had a price, though: the price of answering truthfully to any and every question she could think of for one hour (as if roughly a dozen high school girls knowing exactly who Komori-kun really was wasn't enough) (but his secret was supposedly safe with them. Sonoko apparently swore on Kaitou KID's cape that anyone who breathed a word of Komori-kun's true identity would have every last dirty secret revealed on every social media that had and ever would exist) (you didn't become part of the rumor mill without some skeletons in the closet).

He might as well have given her a blank check.

His face ablaze with embarrassment and wings fidgeting in discomfort, Shinichi buried his face in his hands.

Sonoko rested her chin on her hands, her well-groomed scales almost glittering emerald beneath the kitchen lights. "Why _don't_ you ask Ran out?"

 _This is for my family, this is for my family, this is for my family,_ he repeated to himself as the urge to bang his head against a brick wall steadily grew.

(0 0)

His mother was still nervous. Nothing he did would change that. Even with a small stun gun in his backpack, a key-shaped knife of his keychain, and his phone GPS tracker on at all times, she still fussed and fretted about was he followed, did anyone strange recognize him. Shinichi wished his father was coming home sooner than next month. He might go live at Ran's for a while. His mother was well-meaning, but ever since he started doing minor detective work here and there, her overprotective micromanagement kicked into overdrive. Shinichi just wanted a chance to _breathe._

(0 0)

Three days after they'd returned from New York, he felt like he was going to suffocate if he stayed home any longer. He gathered together his flight gear: a thick, warm hooded jacket, flight goggles, and study boots to help him stick landings (the boots were more comfort objects than anything. They were the same brand and make as the boots his father used to wear). Flight license zipped into the pocket of his warmest jacket, he took to the skies as the sun dipped below the horizon.

And oh how free he felt. Flight restrictions were much more strict in America, and because he didn't have an American flight license, it'd been nearly a week since he'd been able to stretch his wings like this. No grounder would ever really understand flying. It was like water to the aquatic. Yes, he could live without it, but he was miserable if he went too long without a few hours in the sky.

Sometimes, he wondered if running for the grounders was like this. The wind rushing past his wings, the city below a shining sea of lights like an artificial reproduction of the glittering Milky Way above. The sour smell of asphalt and cars faded and faint, the scent of rain filling his lungs and the sheer openness of the enormity of the sky free for him to explore.

He could easily discern the other night aviators thanks to echolocation, and he knew most of them by name. The barn owl, Haru, lived on the other side of the city and only got out when his kids were all asleep. Only one of his four daughters had wings, and he spoke of bringing Chihiro out for her first flight soon like it was the only thing that mattered. Katsuo, a screech owl, came out with his mother every Friday if not more frequently. Katsuo started flying the year after Shinichi's father lost his wings.

One who called himself 'Zero' was the only other bat Shinichi really knew, but Shinichi had never seen his face or heard his true voice. Zero preferred communication via morse code and supersonic chirps, and his fur was darker than the night itself.

Not many other bats lived around, especially not any with fur Shinichi's vibrant orange color. Shinichi knew his mother had a right to worry, but he hated being treated like a child. He was almost fifteen, after all. He could handle himself just fine.

When Shinichi landed, hours later, he tripped over a body in the street. Not literally, but he couldn't just smell death and walk away. Pulling his hood lower to hide his distinctive ears (the tips were black, a rare fluke of genetics), he easily claimed the title of Komori, a detective. Already wearing flight goggles that easily covered his face, he knew no one recognized him as he called the police and held back a few passersby who reeked of fear. Their fear scent only grew as he approached the body, and despite the hustle and bustle of the city, each of their hearts pounded in their chests like bass drums.

It was a simple enough case (murderer still had the gun on him) (and the scent of gunpowder) (the brother murdered his sister's girlfriend because hate is a thing), and Megure, as Shinichi wrapped up things around the crime scene, held the steadily growing crowd of curious onlookers at bay. It was a startling amount for the late hour, but nonetheless Shinichi heard the _click click_ of cameras indicative of a few photographers in the crowd. As much as he would have loved to march up to them announce his genius, he kept his head low as Megure led him to a police car.

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There were still pictures the next morning. The tabloids and news stations had a field day, speculating with even more enthusiasm than the Americans. As he'd suspected, none of the speculators caught his face, and even fewer got a good shot of his wings, the only part of his body that wasn't covered.

There was one person-- a grounder with night vision-- who worked in the restaurant next to where the murder occurred, however, who saw Shinichi's orange fur for what it truly was. The news caught wind of this crucial piece of information and went ballistic.

So did his mother.

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His ninth day of house arrest (by order of Kudou Yukiko who, while excessive, often had a point), Ran dropped by to say hello. Grinning, she flucked her forked tongue between her lips now and again as she pulled up a video on Zuutube. With Yukiko nearby, Ran waved her over and said gleefully, "Watch this."

The video titled "Komori-kun's TRUE Identity: MY THEORIES" was posted by SpritzPoppers, a Zuutuber they all knew personally. Hamasaki Aneko went to middle school with them but transferred to a school a little more to the west, somewhere in Osaka, for high school. That didn't stop her from keeping a close friendship with Sonoko.

Shinichi looked at the thumbnail as the video loaded. A picture— _the_ picture of him on the plane, his ears in full view of the camera. Strangely, someone had edited the picture to remove the black on his eartips (perhaps they'd thought the coloring a trick of the light?). The video had over three million views and climbing since its upload an hour ago, and Shinichi's wings gave and apprehensive quiver. Hamasaki knew him. She'd easily figure out that it was him in the picture.

 _I'm going to be grounded forever,_ Shinichi thought, wilting at the thought.

Then the video began.

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 _While the police maintain that the young bat involved wished to "remain anonymous to the public," some speculate the ginger bat may have been one of any young prodigies. The latest and most popular theory was made by ZuuTube star SpritzPoppers (Hamasaki Aneko) that the bat is K-Pop star Kim Yoomin has gained traction in the past few days._

 _We have been unable to contact Kim Yoonmin or **big stepping time** for comment. With BST's next concert in Fukuoka next month, this news station hopes to gather more information from this famed ginger bat._

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Sonoko grinned cheekily the next day when Shinichi walked into the classroom. "This is your doing, isn't it," he said.

"Shinichi-kun, whatever do you mean?" Sonoko batted her eyelashes innocently.

"Hamasaki-chan. You asked her to do that." _What other explanation could there be?_ "BST is one of your favorite bands, but it's rather obscure. Only you would know that one of their members has fur this color." He gestured to himself and his fur.

Sonoko only shrugged noncommittally. "What can I say? I'm a genius." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Your mom's right. You're not invincible, you know. I'll cover you for as long as I can, but there's only so much I can do."

He nodded gratefully, taking a small package from his pocket. "Speaking of my mother," he said. "She, ah, wanted me to give you this." He coughed awkwardly, a nervous little flutter from his wings. He walked away before she could open it.

He'd never live it down if Ran saw him giving Sonoko jewelry.


End file.
